How does carb counting work?

[type1harley]

Hello everyone,
I have been Type 1 Diabetic for just over 3 months. I have been set a fixed insulin dose of:
16 Lantus and 6 NovoRapid before breakfast, 8 NovoRapid before lunch & 8 NovoRapid before dinner.

At my school, there are 3 other Type 1 Diabetics who take insulin and are on carb count.

How does it work and when will I start?

 

[mo1905]

It's basically counting the amount of carbs in a particular meal/food item and adjusting insulin to suit. It's a bit of trial and error to begin with but eventually you will figure out your carb/insulin ration. A common ratio is 1unit of QA insulin to 10g of carbs. It does give a bit more flexibility once you get the hang of it. As for when you will start, no clue. I would discuss this option with your doc/nurse and ask if you can attend a DAFNE course which teaches the basics of carb counting and dose adjustment.

 

[phil55494]

Having fixed amounts of insulin at certain times means you may get more (or less) insulin than you need for the meal in front of you.
As you know if you have too much insulin you can have a hypo. Too little and your levels run high.

Carb counting as Mo says is a means of estimating the amount of carbs in the meal you get, then you adjust the amount of fast insulin to take acount of how much you eat.
See if you can get on a DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) or similar course. This should teach you the basics of carb counting and changing your insulin doses in relation to what you eat and when you eat.

 

[type1harley]

Also, will I need a half-unit pen? I was given one as diagnosis but had it taken away as it seemed confusing.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[mo1905]

A half unit pen can be useful. Why would they think it would confuse you ? That's quite insulting really. If I ate 55g of carbs, I would inject 5.5 units of insulin. Hardly confusing !

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[CollieBoy]

Having fixed amounts of insulin at certain times means you may get more (or less) insulin than you need for the meal in front of you.
As you know if you have too much insulin you can have a hypo. Too little and your levels run high.

Carb counting as Mo says is a means of estimating the amount of carbs in the meal you get, then you adjust the amount of fast insulin to take acount of how much you eat.
See if you can get on a DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) or similar course. This should teach you the basics of carb counting and changing your insulin doses in relation to what you eat and when you eat.

If you can't get a DAFNE course (or want a head start) there is an online course at BDEC www.bdec-e-learning.com/‎